A Sin Forgiven
by Kiteekat
Summary: You never really find out too much about Lulu's past during the course of the game, so I thought up my own version. Very little cussing, some gore (more to come), mention of abuse and murder, and some violence.
1. Birth of a Mage

A/N: Guess what?! I own FFX!! … Okay, okay, I don't really. But I do own this, copywrite and all. So to all of you thieves out there… = p

Lulu squealed and ran behind Chappu. The smallish boy gulped and brandished the blitzball in his shaking hands. The dingo that was eyeing them growled, its wiry tail swishing back and forth in a moment of indecision. Then, the fiend howled and lunged at the two frightened children. 

"Back off!" Another blitzball hit the dingo square on the nose, making it yip and retreat. Wakka picked up his ball as it rolled back to him. 

"Ha! That outta teach ya to pick on my little brother, ya?" Chappu frowned, his aqua blue eyes narrowed, as he grabbed Lulu's hand and stalked down the path. 

"Hey hey hey! Where you two goin'?!"  Wakka ran in front of Chappu and Lulu holding out his arms. 

"There are more fiends down there. You goin' nuts?" Chappu's glare only intensified as he stared down his older brother. 

"I could have handled it." Wakka's jaw dropped to the ground. 

"You're six an' you wanna go fight fiends?! No way!" Chappu stood on his tip-toes so he could look Wakka in the eye. 

"You're only eight!" 

"That don' matter!" 

"Yes it does!" 

Chappu shoved Wakka backwards, yelling at the top of his lungs, "You're just a big bully!" 

Wakka shoved back and shouted, "I'm your big brother!"  Lulu hugged her doll tighter and closed her eyes. Her mommy and daddy fought like that all the time. She was only five, and she already knew about love and marriage. She already knew about the thing that was called divorce, back in the days of the machina cities. Maybe that was why Chappu was her only friend. Chappu, with his blinding orange hair and insane war games, was like an older brother to Lulu. Whenever Lulu ran down to the docks, wailing and constantly wiping her round, chocolate eyes, Chappu followed and sat down with her. Whenever Lulu's dark brunette braids got caught on a tree branch, Chappu was the one to untangle it. And those were probably some of the reasons that Lulu felt afraid, watching Chappu and Wakka fight. Lulu started snuffling and plopped down in the grass, on the verge of crying. Her sniffs escalated to whimpers, but they couldn't be heard over the brothers' shouting. Lulu's eyes filled with tears and her lower lip trembled, but then she froze. Barely even daring to breathe, Lulu peeked over her shoulder. The dingo was back, and it was staring right at her. 

"Chappu!" Lulu scrambled to her feet and stumbled down the path, tripping in her panic. Both the brothers had noticed the dingo, but during the fight they'd dropped their blitzballs, and the fiend was too close. The monster's eyes shone a demonic red as it leapt into the air after Lulu, ready to tear the terrified child apart. Lulu squeezed her eyes shut and put her hands up, trying to stop the monster.

Wakka and Chappu both gaped as a burst of flame erupted from Lulu's outstretched hands, engulfing the dingo as it howled in agony. The petrified girl's eyes slowly opened, watching as the fiend's defeated spirit dissolved into the air. Both Chappu and Wakka forgot their argument and rushed to Lulu's side. Chappu picked her off the ground and stroked her hair. 

"It's okay Lu. Don' be scared. I'm gonna take you home now."

Braska stood still as he listened to the woman pleading with him. 

"Please, don't test her. If she is a mage, I'll lose my only daughter. Lulu is my darling baby." Braska smiled and patted the woman's shoulder. 

"I understand your concern. Don't worry. If your daughter is a mage, she won't be trained until she is fifteen. And I'm sure you'll be able to go to Macalania with her when the time comes." Anama smiled and made a sweeping bow, ending it with the prayer of Yevon. 

"Thank you sir."

Wakka and Chappu pushed their way to the front of the crowd in front of Besaid Temple. Lulu was sitting on the steps, glancing around with frightened eyes. Braska walked out of the temple, carrying the staff he used for ceremonies. It was for show really, but it strengthened the faith of the people. The beautiful gold, fashioned into the spreading branches of an ash tree, and the dangling charms and bells seemed to reassure even the most hysterical believer. Braska knelt down by Lulu's side and smiled reassuringly. 

"Now Lulu, this is nothing to be scared of. I want you to walk down to the center of the town square. I'll go down with you. I'm going to put my hand on your forehead, and I want you to relax. It won't hurt. You should actually feel very warm and happy. And that's all I'm going to do. Okay?" Lulu smiled. Braska was the father of her friend, Yuna. She could trust him. Nodding bravely, Lulu gave him her hand. 

"Okay Mr. Braska."

The crowd parted as the awkward pair descended the stone steps. Lulu let her doll hang at her side, no longer frightened. Braska held his staff in one hand and with the other brushed her hair back. 

"Now close your eyes." Lulu obeyed, and she felt him resting his hand on her forehead. A funny, tingling feeling started to spread through her body, starting where Braska had his hand, all the way down to her feet. And then, she was floating. It wasn't dark, it was light, almost like midday sun, despite her closed eyes. And she felt so warm. What had she been afraid of? This felt nice.

Chappu and Wakka covered their eyes as a flash of light enveloped Lulu. The little girl's sandaled feet lifted gently from the ground as she rose into the air. Braska gently removed his hand and there, glowing an iridescent violet, was the mark of Yevon. Braska smiled slightly and closed his eyes. 

"Yevon has blessed this little one. She could be one of the strongest mages since the First Calm." Chappu ran to Braska and tugged at his robe. 

"What does that mean?" Braska smiled again. 

"It means that she'll be sent to Macalania to become a mage." 

Seeing the fallen look on Chappu's face, Braska added, "When she's old enough, that is." 

"Over my dead body you prick!" Braska's head shot up and he scanned the crowd for the speaker. 

"She is a mage Adain. She must be trained, for the good of Spira." Lulu's father stumbled into the open, brandishing a half-empty bottle of liquor. 

"She's not a mage. She's a piece of shoopuf crap. It would be a waste of time to send her to the Farplane, for Yevon's sake." Anama ran up to husband and grabbed his arm. 

"Adain! Please! Don't do this to her too!" The back of the man's hand slapped across Anama's face, making her stumble backwards, on the verge of tears. 

"Shut up, whore! She's my daughter, sadly enough, and I'm not going to let some prick send her to Lake Macaroni to become some mage. She's eight and she won't even let go of her doll." Amana's face reddened in rage, to the point where her cheeks matched the mark on her jaw. 

"Your _first daughter would have been eight, if you hadn't stabbed her!" A thought visibly registered in Adain's bloodshot eyes. _

"You shut it! I never hurt her! She tripped and cut herself!" 

Amana climbed to her feet and screamed, "NO SHE DID NOT! YOU STABBED HER! YOU KILLED HER!" The broken woman collapsed to her knees and sobbed. 

"Because I let you. It's not happening twice, Adain. You're going to move out, and Lu is going to Macalania. My Lu. My daughter." 

Braska put two and two together. He broke the connection between Yevon and Lulu, picked the dazed girl up, and delivered her to her weeping mother. It was then that the little girl's eyes focused again and she smiled. 

"Mommy…" She climbed into her mother's lap and her short, chubby arms encircled the older woman's neck. 

"Sis says hi, and that it's okay. She wanted me to tell you that it wasn't your fault." 

Anama's eyes widened and she whispered, "How did you know about Nikia?" Lulu smiled. 

"I saw her mom. You're so silly." Chappu and Wakka glanced at each other. Nikia had been born three years before Lulu. She'd died just before Lulu was born, from a knife wound. Nobody had ever mentioned the girl's death until then. Especially not to Lulu. Chappu, Wakka, and Amana all glanced at Braska, as if to ask the question that was on their minds. Braska smiled. 

"When being tested, a person's soul goes to the Farplane." 


	2. Death of Love and Innocence

Braska turned back to Adain and frowned sternly.

"I think it would be best for you to spend the night in the temple. The villagers can start building you a house of your own tomorrow."

Adain brandished the bottle of liquor at Braska and snarled, "Now you listen here, you prick! I already have a house, andd I'm stayin' in it! Y'hear me?!" Braska shook his head calmly.

"No Adain. I'm afraid that I'm obligated to protect the people of this villager, and that includes your wife and daughter. I can't allow you near them." Anama blinked up at Braska in shock and disbelief.

"Sir… I…" Braska smiled soothingly and helped her to her feet.

"You can go home Anama. Do you want one of the Crusaders to escort you? Spend the night, even?" Anama swallowed the lump in her throat and bowed in thanks.

"I am very grateful for all your help." She straightened and picked up Lulu.

"Come on Lu, we're going home. And we're going to have company tonight, so I'm going to need your help cleaning up, okay?" Lulu smiled in the way that only an innocent child can.

"Okay mommy!" She looked over her mother's shoulder at the man that had once been part of her family.

"Daddy! Nikia said, 'Serves you right, you sick bastard!'" She blinked for a second, then looked back at her mother.

"Mommy, what's a bastard?"

In the six months that followed, Lulu's life was suddenly much happier. Chappu came to her house for the first time, instead of Lulu visiting his family. Every day, Lulu went to the temple to visit Braska and listened patiently as he explained what the next few years had in store for her. She could play almost any time she wanted, except when she had to do her small share of chores. Their small house, which before had been in a horrid state of disrepair, looked clan and well-kept, and there was even a small patch of flowers in front. Their sweet aroma filled the home, erasing the stench of alcohol and garbage. And, most importantly, her mother stopped crying. Even naïve Lulu could see the difference- Anama suddenly looked years younger than before. The lines of worry that had always creased her face were now smoothed out, and the gray streaks that had begun to appear in her hair had all but disappeared. Practically all of Besaid smiled as they watched the tiny, but happy, family. They smiled even more when Lulu's talent started becoming more prominent. She still had no control over the spells that she was accidentally casting, but these events only happened when fiends got too close to Lulu or any of the other villagers. Once, a garm had snuck into the village while Lulu was playing catch with Chappu. The creature had burst out of the trees and streaked towards Chappu, and a bolt of lightning had suddenly struck down from a cloudless, blue sky and killed the monster. If Lulu and Chappu had been insperable before, they might as well have been Siamese twins afterwards. They were always together.

"Now Lu, I don't want you to get this dress dirty. Mommy worked very hard to sew it." Lulu smiled and hugged her moogle doll tightly to her chest. The dress Anama made looked absolutely adorable. It was dark purple, with short sleeves, and a hem that ended just below her knees- Anama had made sure that Lulu would be able to run around the way she loved to. And she'd made a matching, smaller version of the dress for Lulu's doll.

"I won't mommy. Can I go play with Chappu now?" Anama smiled and stood up, making her long, dark hair spill over her shoulder. Now that Adain lived on the other side of the village, it was easy to see the resemblance between mother and daughter. Without the gray strands, Anama's hair was the same color as dark coffee, and her eyes were a deep chocolate, exactly like Lulu's. When she stood straight, Anama was relatively tall, and she had an attractive hourglass figure, which had been hidden by mal-nutrition until now. Her dress, a sleeve-less, summer garmet, sewn from dark blue fabric, showed off Anama's long, slim legs. If her mother was any indication, Lulu would grow into a lovely young woman. But, for now, she remained a short, chubby little girl.

"One minute honey. Mommy has something else for you." Anama pulled a circle of white flowers from behind her back and gently placed it on Lulu's head, twining a few loose braids through the blossoms to hold it in place.

"There. Now you can go play. But don't go too far, and be back at the Temple in time for the fireworks, okay?" Lulu threw her arms around Anama's legs and hugged her fiercely, then ran towards Chappu and Wakka's house.

"Thank you Mommy! Bye now!" Lulu sprinted towards the door of her friend's house, nearly colliding with Wakka as he walked out the door.

"Sheesh Lu! You might wanna slow down, before you run someone over, ya?" Lulu grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry Wa. Where's Chappu?" Wakka sighed.

"Lu, don't call me Wa. It's embarassin'." He squinted and tossed his blitzball from one hand to the other as he tried to think over the loud sound of pipes, drums, and laughter.

"Last I knew, he was playin' in there." He pointed to the woods behind his house.

"Okay Wa. Love you! Bye-bye!" Wakka sighed again and shook his head.

"Li'l kids…"

Chappu pulled on the hilt of his practice sword, hoping that he wasn't going to end up with splinters in his hands. Maybe pretending that a mass of tree roots was a fiend hadn't been the best of ideas, since his sword was now stuck in those roots.

"C'mon…" Chappu braced his foot against the tree trunk and heaved one last time, tumbling backwards as the sword came free. Chappu landed flat on his back and stayed there for a minute or two, dazed. Then, he sat up and shook the dust out of his hair, picked up his sword, and slipped it back into the sheath on his back. Chappu puffed up his chest proudly and smirked.

"I sure showed you, stupid tree. You thought you could steal my sword, but I got it back!"

"Why are you talking to the tree, Chappu?" Chappu spun around, turning pink.

"Hey! You snuck up on me!" Lulu giggled.

"You're funny!" She twirled around to show off her new dress.

"Don't I look pretty?" Chappu, being a boy, wrinkled his nose in distaste.

"How should I know? I'm not a girl!" Lulu stopped twirling and folded her arms.

"You're such a grouch!" Chappu smiled and pulled on one of Lulu's braids, not too hard, but enough to be annoying.

"And you're such a baby!" Lulu pouted and adjusted the flowers in her hair.

"I am not!" Chappu shook his head.

"Whatever you wanna think, Lu. I think we should get goin' though. Mr. Braska is gonna do the firewords soon, remember?" Lulu's fornw dissolved into a grin.

"Yup yup yup! We gotta see those! Race ya!" Chappu shouted as Lulu suddenly took off, running unbelievably fast for a five-year-old.

"Hey! That's cheatin'!" Lulu giggled and kept running, emerging from the forest, then skidding to a stop behind Chappu's house. Chappu finally caught up, panting for breath.

"What's wrong Lu?" 

Lulu shivered and, as if her normal voice would be too loud, whispered, "Why's it so quiet, Chappu?" Chappu blinked, then frowned. She was right. The music and laughing that had been drifting from the temple area only minutes before had stopped completely. 

Chappu adjusted his grip on his trusty blitzzball and whispered back, "I dunno Lu. I'm gonna check it out." He started to circle around the house, creeping unseen through the tall grass, but Lulu tugged at his shirt.

"I'm coming too," she whispered. Chappu nodded in agreement. He didn't want to admit that he would prefer to have Lulu with him because of her mysterious ability to kill any fiend that came near her. That would be an un-manly thin to do.

Instead, he lied, "I wouldn't wanna leave you all alone anyways." The two children fell silent, creeping through the tall grass and behind houses, until they finally reached the temple. They cautiously stepped out of the grass, then both of them gasped, as they laid eyes upon the sight before them- a sight that no child should ever see. The streamers that had been wrapped around the pillars of the temple and draped off of houses were shredded to pieces and thrown to the ground. Wilting flowers, smashed tosy, and dropped candy littered the ground… along with the bodies and the blood of half the village. Both children stared in shock and horror as their childhood innocence slowly, painfully died. Chappu was the first to move, raising his hand to cover Lulu's eyes. Lulu remained frozen, her brain still trying to process that image of death and destruction. This was worse than life with her father. It was so much worse…

"C'mon Lu… We're gonna find Mr. Braska…" Lulu grabbed Chappu's shirt as he kept covering her eyes and slowly guided her through the piles of corpses.

"Okay Chappu…" The young boy swallowed the bile that was rising in his throat and concentrated. They needed to find Braska, and soon. Lulu's abilities might offer some protection, but Braska could control the few Black Magic spells that he knew, and they were slightly stronger than Lulu's. They would only be safe with him.

"Can I open my eyes now, Chappu?"

"No Lu. Not yet. Just a little further, and then we can go find Mr. Braska together, okay?" Chappu guided Lulu around the last corpse and then around the corner, then finally removed his hand. Lulu looked back up at him with dull, unblinking eyes.

"Why is everybody sleeping, Chappu?" Chappu winced. She still sounded so innocent, but after all that they'd just seen, he knew that it was no longer so. They were young, but they were no longer children.

"I'll tell you after we find Mr. Braska, okay Lu?" Chappu started off, keeping a firm grip on Lulu's wrist. He marched through the deserted, semi-intact section of the village, trying not to stare at the smashed bu8ildings and stranged trails of putrid slime that lined the streets. Suddenly, they heard a furious shout, and a sparkling spire of ice burst through the tree-tops, before disappearing. There was a bone-chilling shriek that followed, and more yelling.

"That way!" Chappu ran forward, still hauling Lulu behind him. They plowed through the undergrowth and skidded to a stop in the clearing that surrounded the Besaid waterfalls. There was a thing clinging to the sheer cliff, attempting to climb up the rocks and to safety. Braska was standing almost at the base of the cliff, casting a series of Black Magic spells as quickly as he could. The Crusaders, and some of the surviving villagers, were throwing spears, knives, rocks, sticks, and just about anything else that they could find at the creature. Chappu felt his insides twisting into knots as he realized that he was not staring at any ordinary fiend, but one of the terrible, demonic monsters known as Sinspawn. It resembled a gnat, only much larger and mutated beyond comprehension. It had a tiny head, decorated by hundreds of glitter compound eyes, and a midsection so small that it was almost invisible, leading to a swollen abdomen that secreted a thick, noxious sludge. The Sinspawn had twelve spindly legs, ridged with sharp hooks and ending in small pincers. There was another ridge of spikes tracing down its spine- if it had one- and, as Chappu watched, the creature seemed to swell up for a second, then the spines exploded outward, almost like darts. The huge spines struck a few of the Crusaders. One man had his head crushed- there was no pain- while a woman that had been standing behind him was struck in the arm and nailed to the ground. Almost immediately, another set of spines grew out of the Sinspawn's back, while it clicked its slobbering fangs together, almost as if it were chuckling. Chappu's eyes widened in horror as the creature swelled again, and he grabbed Lulu's wrist and yanked her towards the trees.

"Run Lu! Run!" Both children sprinted as fast as they could, stumbling as one of the spikes buried itself in the ground just in front of them. Lulu's ankle caught on the spine and she tripped, but Chappu grabbed her around the waist and she was up and running again. They reached the trees and Lulu collapsed, panting, while Chappu drew his wooden sword from its sheath on his back. It was probably sharp enough to cut through those spikes, and if Chappu was enough to save a life, he was going to just that.

"Lu, I'm going to help. Stay here." Lulu started to nod, the screamed and jumped to her feet, running as fast as her legs could carry her. Chappu followed, heedless of the showers of lethal spikes.

"Lulu! What're you doin'?! Lu-" Chappu froze and let his sword slip from his hand as he realized why Lulu had left the safety of the trees. Anama was sprawled on the ground, whimpering and sobbing in agony, as her blood-smeared hands tugged at the spike that was driven through her stomach.

"Mommy…" Lulu's eyes willed up with tears, for the first time in months, and she covered her mother's hand with her own shaking one. Anama's eyes focused and she gasped weakly.

"Lulu… is that you…?" Lulu nodded, making the circlet of flowers fall out of her hair and onto the ground next to her mother.

"Oh, thank Yevon you're safe honey…" Anama's eyes slipped out of focus and her body suddenly tensed, as if she were having a seizure. Chappu's eyes widened when he noticed the greenish, pus-like fluid that leaked out of pores in the spine's surface…

"Holy Yevon…" Venom. That monster- that _thing- was poisonous. Lulu reached for the poisonous spike to try and pull it out, but Chappu grabbed her around the middle and yanked her back._

"Don't touch it Lu! Don't touch it!" Anama's eyes focused again, this time on Chappu.

"Chappu, take Lulu and run… please… I'll never rest in peace if my second daughter dies like the first one…" Tears traced their way down Anama's cheeks and fell to the dirt, mixing with the blood and poison that already stained the ground.

"Run as fast as you can…" Chappu nodded, and, blinking back tears of his own, picked Lulu up by the waist and slung her over his shoulder.

"No! Put me down Chappu! Put me down! Mommy! MOMMY!!!" 

Anama sobbed weakly and whispered, "Lulu, I-I love…" Her strength deserted her before she could finish her sentence.

Time seemed to grind to a halt right then, and Chappu could vaguely feel Lulu's struggles cease, as if her spirit had left her body too. Then, over the shrieks and chaos of battle, one scream echoed above everything else.

"NOOO!!! NOT YOU TOO!!!" Lulu clenched her fists so hard that her nails broke the skin of her palms, allowing a small trickle of blood to run down her arms.

"YOU'RE LEAVING ME!!! EVERYBODY LEAVES ME!!!" She threw her head back and screamed, heart-breaking cries full of rage and grief. Moments later, her screams were drowned out, as dozens of lightning bolts came raining down from the sky, each and every single one striking the Sinspawn dead on. The survivors watched in awe as the monster's grip on the cliff loosened and it began to fall through the air. Braska gathered his strength and cast one last spell. A torrent of water ripped from the sky and pummeled the already dying monster. Just before the Sinspawn hit the ground, it erupted into a swirling cloud of pyre flies and vanished. Braska collapsed to his knees, panting, and leaning on his staff for support. Those who were still living stared at Lulu and Chappu, alone in the middle of the clearing. Chappu had collapsed and Lulu had tumbled from his grasp. She now stood rigid, staring at the cliff that the Sinspawn had been clinging to only a minute before. Braska slowly straightened and limped over to the little girl, looking weary.

"Lulu? Do you feel okay?" He bent over and frowned in concern. Lulu was frozen like a statue- she didn't move, she didn't blink, she didn't even breathe. Chappu managed to stagger back to his feet and over to his friend.

"Lu… look at me Lu…" Lulu moved then, as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she crumpled to the ground. Chappu gasped and tugged on Braska's robes urgently.

"Mr. Braska! The poison! Lu tripped on one of the spikes! The poison!" Braska managed to figure out what Chappu was saying when he noticed the fetid slime that was slowly being absorbed into Lulu's leg, then suddenly stood straight again, all his fatigue forgotten.

"Everyone who touched one of those spikes, come over here right now!" Villagers came running from every direction, and Chappu suddenly found himself in one of Wakka's bear hugs.

"Chappu! Thank Yevon you still alive!" Wakka's flaming hair was messier than ever, and his cheeks were streaked with tears.

"I thought you was dead too! But you still alive, ya?" Chappu blinked, still somewhat dazed.

"Whaddya mean, you thought I was dead too?" Wakka fell silent for a second, then hugged his brother even tighter.

"Everybody's dead Chappu! Mom! Dad! Everybody!" Chappu could have sworn his heart stopped for a moment, before he was plunged into darkness.

Chappu blinked and sat up, clutching his head.

"Uhh… I feel like a shoopuf sat on my head…" 

Wakka managed a half-smile and replied, "That makes two of us." Chappu looked around, finally recognizing where he was. He and his brother were lying on straw pallets in a corner of the temple's main room, next to the rest of the surviving villagers and the wounded. Chappu, suddenly forgetting his throbbing head, leapt to his feet and looked around frantically.

"Where's Lu?!" Wakka's face fell and he pointed across the room. Chappu sprinted over and fell to his knees, next to a girl that he vaguely recognized as Lulu. Her face looked pallid, especially in the flickering torchlight, her face and arms were smudged with dirt, and her swollen leg was wrapped in blood-stained bandages.

"Damn…" Chappu squeezed his eyes shut and pounded the floor with his fist, feeling absolutely helpless.

"Dammit!"

"Are you okay, Chappu?" Chappu looked over his shoulder and sighed as Yuna, Braska's four-year-old daughter, frowned at him in concern.

"Oh, hey Yuna…" Yuna kneeled down beside Chappu and clasped her hands together.

"Lulu is sick… lots of people are sick…" Chappu glanced at Yuna and noticed the dark circles under her eyes, and the way she was slumping.

"Have you been up all night?"

"No," Yuna lied.

"Of course not…" Chappu glared at her sternly and tears started squeezing their way out of Yuna's eyes.

"Daddy has been teaching me magic… and I was trying to help…" Chappu sighed and hugged Yuna gently.

"You shouldn't worry… your dad can take care of everybody…" Yuna shook her head.

"But he's busy. He's in the Oyster of Trials…" Wakka walked up behind Yuna and sat down next to her.

"She means the Cloister of Trials." Chappu stared at the door at the top of the staircase. Only summoners were supposed to go in there.

"Mr. Braska is trying to become a summoner?" Wakka and Yuna both nodded.

"Yes. That's why I've been trying to help… because daddy is too busy to help people…" Yuna stared down at her clasped hands and took a deep breath.

"I'm tired, but I'm gonna keep trying to help." Chappu opened his mouth to protest, but Wakka put his hand on his shoulder and they both watched Yuna. The little girl held her hands flat over Lulu, palms down, and squeezed her eyes shut tightly. A brilliant, white light eminated from Yuna's hands, then quickly died and Yuna flopped to the floor. Wakka helped Yuna sit up while Chappu bit his lip and stared intently at Lulu's leg. Little by little, the swelling slowly subsided. Chappu gently unwrapped the bandages, heaving a heavy sigh of relief when there was nothing but a tender red mark on Lulu's leg. Suddenly, there was a thud, and every head in the temple turned to see Braska collapsed at the top of the stairs. Yuna gasped and scrambled up the stairs, and Braska smiled and patted her head.

"I've done it, Yuna. I have become a summoner."


	3. The Start of a Friendship

Lulu hugged what was left of her moogle doll to her chest, staring out to the ocean. She was standing on the beach, watching, as the remaining villagers threw lilies into the water to represent the souls lost in the Sinspawn's devastating attack. Summoner Braska closed his eyes and began the dance that was a crucial part of the Sending ceremony. He danced to ensure that all the lost souls would be sent to the Farplane, to ensure that the spirits of their loved ones wouldn't be transformed into fiends. Chappu wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. Lulu leaned her head against his shoulder and tried to hold back the tears that had never stopped flowing since her mother's death. Braska paused for a moment to take a breath, then continued the dance, trying to keep back tears of his own. Lulu watched him intently, remembering something he had told her on one of those  visits to the temple, before her life had been shattered...

_"You'll be learning lots of different things, in addition to magic, Lulu. When a person dies, there's a_

_ceremony you must perform called the Sending, which includes a special dance. If you don't perform the Sending, then the souls of the dead will become fiends." Lulu blinked innocently._

_"Will I have to learn the Sending dance?" Braska nodded._

_"Yes, although you may never use it. The custom is for a summoner or a White mage to perform the ceremony, because they are the bringers of light and peace. A Black mage like you is a bringer of death and destruction, so Black mages don't perform the ceremony very often. But, as a last resort, you will have to dance the Sending, so it will be required of you to learn it."_

Lulu squeezed her eyes shut and whispered to herself, "I will never do that dance... Not for anyone... I will never, ever, dance..." The setting sun left a gold-plated sea behind it, gold decorated with hundreds of pearl-white lilies. It was a sight that was both beautiful and hideous.

Lulu tightened her grip on the older woman in front of her as she bounced up and down on the back of a chocobo. Without any family left in Besaid, and no one able to care for her, she had been sent to Macalania ten years early. Sent away from her home. Away from her friends. Away from Chappu. He had given her a parting gift and promised to come see her when he was old enough to travel by himself. Lulu glanced down, watching the gold and silver chains swing from side to side on her chest. It had been one of her mother's most precious possessions- a finely wrought, gold necklace, with a tiny charm in the shape of a sun dangling from it. One of the villagers had noticed it when they'd retrieved Anama's body, and it was only fair for the little girl to have something to remember her mother by. Chappu's mother also had a charm necklace, this one of silver, with a silver moon hanging from it. Wakka still cried when anything reminded him of their parents, so Chappu had given the necklace to her, for safekeeping.

"Someday, when the pain isn't so strong, you can give it back to me," he'd told her as he gave her one last hug. Lulu felt a dull ache in her chest when she thought about him. Only two days' travel from Besaid, she missed Chappu terribly.

"We're finally here!" The Chocobo Knight in front of Lulu pointed in front of them and smiled in relief.

There was Macalania temple, surrounded by a barren landscape of snow and ice. Lulu's new home. A stark contrast from the sunny, balmy climate of Besaid. The Chocobo Knight stopped in front of the temple and swung down from her mount, pausing to set Lulu on her feet. There were no bags for the older woman to carry. Her passenger owned nothing. The great, heavy doors groaned as they opened, and Lulu ran into the temple, accompanied by a biting wind. It was a little warmer inside, with torches casting their light and heat about the room. Lulu slumped against a wall and shivered, trying to fend off the cold.

"Are you Lulu, from Besaid?" Lulu glanced up and swallowed nervously as a short, balding man glared down at her.

"Y-yes..."

"You will address me as sir, young lady," the man replied angrily. Lulu nodded meekly and stared at the stone floor.

"Yes sir." The man wrinkled his nose in distaste and jerked her chin up to make her look at him.

"Hard to believe some simpering little girl like you could have the kind of talent that Braska reported. Of course, that man has always been somewhat of an idiot." Lulu jerked her chin back indignantly and folded her arms in fury.

"You're a bad man to talk about Mr. Braska like that! He's a good man, and a summoner too, and he's going to beat Sin!" The balding one seemed taken aback, before his eyes narrowed and he raised his hand to slap her.

"Why you little-"

"May I ask why you are making Lulu's arrival so unpleasant?" The bald one straightened quickly, his

face flushed. 

"Sir, this child was being very rude to me, her superior. With an attitude like that, she won't make a

proper mage." A slim, much younger man, with sandy hair and cobalt eyes stepped up to the older one and glared down at him.

"I will be the judge of that. Besides, you're supposed to be leading the second level classes, are you not?" The shorter man stuttered for a few seconds before lowering his eyes and slinking off.

"Forgive me, Sir." The younger one nodded his head and smirked.

"I thought so." He then turned to Lulu and knelt down so that he was at her eye-level.

"I'm sorry Priest Yanka was giving you such a hard time. You are Lulu from Besaid, aren't you?" Lulu relaxed and allowed herself a small smile.

"Yes sir." The young man smiled, and somehow it extended all the way to his eyes, giving him a startling resemblance to Braska.

"Please, don't call me sir. I am High Priest Oneron, the one in charge of this temple. I, and a few other priests, will be training you these next few years. Today, however, I think we'll let you rest. We can start acquainting you with the temple and your lessons tomorrow." Lulu heaved a sigh of relief. Maybe life as a mage wouldn't be so bad after all.

Lulu pressed her nose to the window and stared outside at the empty, glittering landscape that surrounded the temple, before finally giving into the dense forest that isolated Macalania from the rest of the world. This was so different from her home… In Besaid, if you climbed to the top of the cliffs, you could see all the way to Luca, and the warm, fragrant breeze would blow your hair around and the world would seem so peaceful… Lulu glanced up and the empty void in her heart grew larger as she realized that she couldn't see the sun any longer. Thick, grey clouds covered the sun, allowing only a few golden rays to shine through, and even those were weak and dull. Lulu began to wonder if she would ever feel that gentle warmth on her face again, but the door opened behind her and she spun around.

"Hey, you're Lulu, right?" Lulu nodded, staring in admiration at the older girl that had just entered the room. She was tall, with shining auburn hair that fell nearly to her waist, emerald green eyes, and she wore a flowing, light blue robe with a white sash tied around her waist, fur-lined boots that nearly reached her knee, and a silver bracelet adorned with sapphires.

"Nice to meet you Lulu," the girl said, smiling and holding out her hand.

"My name is Neela. I'll be your roommate, and I'll be showing you the ropes around here." Lulu's eyes widened.

"I get to share a room with you?!" Neela nodded.

"Yup. And I'll be helping you find your lessons and stuff for the next week or so, but after that, you're on your own. We won't be sharing too many lessons." Lulu felt slightly disappointed that she couldn't be with Neela all the time. They hadn't known each other too long, but Lulu already felt a strong bond of friendship with her.

"Why won't you be with me?" Neela smiled again and put her hand on Lulu's shoulder, guiding her out of the room and down a hall.

"Well, we will be sharing some classes, like Scriptures, Zoology, and stuff like that, but most of them will be different. You're a lot younger than me, so you'll be starting off in the first level magic classes, while I'm at the second level. We might get to share practice sessions every now and then though." They turned and came into a room that was full of clothing. Robes, tunics, and coats of every size and color were piled higher than Lulu's head, while baskets of thread and needles sat next to them. Several huge, iron cauldrons stood in a depression in the stone floor, near the back of the room. There was a large drain in the center of the pit, and a number of metal tongs lying beside a huge pile of firewood up against the wall.

"This is, as you've probably guessed, the laundry and sewing room." Neela wove her way through the heaps of clothing, to a small shelf  near the cauldrons. She pulled down a wicker basket and looked at Lulu. 

"What are you training for? I don't think you've told me." Lulu shook her head.

"I didn't, sorry. I'm supposed to learn to be a Black mage." Neela nodded.

"That's right, I think I heard someone mention we were going to get another Black mage soon. The last one finished her training months ago and left." After digging through the basket for a little bit, Neela pulled out another bracelet, also of silver, but this one was decorated with pieces of a black, glassy stone that Lulu didn't recognize.

"These bracelets identify us as either a White or a Black mage. White mages get a bracelet with sapphires, like this one," Neela explained, holding up her wrist.

"Black mages get a bracelet like this," she continued, sliding it onto Lulu's wrist.

"The stone is called obsidian. It's a volcanic rock, and it looks a lot like black glass." Lulu frowned as the silver band dangled off her wrist, threatening to fall off.

"Neela, this is too big. I think I need a different-" Lulu jumped as the silver suddenly contracted to fit tightly around her wrist, as though it were alive. Neela smiled, amused, as Lulu started pulling at the bracelet.

"It's enchanted silver, Lulu. Once you put it on, it adjusts to fit the wearer. It won't come off until you finish your training." Lulu blinked as she began to think about this.

"What if it gets all crusty, or what if it breaks?" Neela shook her head and stood up, taking Lulu's hand and pulling back across the room. 

"It can't break, and it can't get tarnished, if that's what you mean. That's part of the enchantment. Now, let's see if we can find you some clothes." Neela pushed aside one of the larger piles of clothes to reveal a door, muttering curses under her breath.

"Stupid people… always blocking this damn door…" Finally, Neela was able to shove the door open, revealing a small, dimly lit room, with robes dyed every shade of blue and purple hanging on the walls.

"Alright, so you're a Black mage, first level…" Neela walked over to a group of lavender robes, flipping through them and wrinkling her nose as dust began to cloud the air.

"Here we are!" Neela turned around and handed Lulu several of the smaller garments and two black sashes, then directed her out of the room.

"Those should be enough for you. Every few days, everyone comes in here after dinner and we all do our laundry. You're responsible for your own things, so make sure you get all your clothes washed. If it's not laundry night, we come in here and repair the priests' robes, or some of our old ones that have been damaged. I think tonight's a laundry night, so you'll be able to get the dust out of those robes before you wear them." Lulu opened her mouth to tell Neela that she didn't know how to wash clothes, but Neela seemed to know her problem without being told.

"I'll help you with it tonight, don't worry. I'll try to show you all your instructors at dinner, and if we have time, I'll introduce you." Neela opened another door and Lulu realized with a start that they were back in the room she'd been waiting in. 

"These dorm rooms are really cramped, but neither of us have too much junk, so we'll probably have a little more room than the other girls." Cramped was an understatement. Lulu had been too depressed to notice her surroundings before, but now that she was feeling somewhat better, she glanced around the room and took it all in. It was reasonably long, but very narrow, with smooth stone forming the walls and the floor, and a single window providing light. There were small mattresses on either side of the room, covered in heavy blankets and furs, and two rickety, wooden writing desks, each with its own wobbly stool, to the side of the window. A jar of ink and an old, bent quill lay on top of a small pile of thin papers on both desks, and a candle sat on a small nightstand next to each mattress.

"Not exactly the lap of luxury," Neela commented dryly, "but you'll get used to it. It does start to feel like home after a while." She relaxed on her mattress and smiled at Lulu.

"I'm just glad to finally have some company. It gets really lonely, having a room to yourself." Lulu deposited her new clothes on the mattress that Neela wasn't occupying and looked around.

"You stayed in here alone? How long?" Neela stared up at the ceiling and her brow wrinkled as she tried to think.

"I think its been about… oh, three years now." 

Lulu looked at her curiously and asked, "How old were you when you came here?" Neela sighed and continued to stare at the ceiling.

"I'd just turned seven." 

Lulu squinted and counted on her fingers, then looked back up at her friend and exclaimed, "You're ten?! Wow! That's really old!" Neela laughed and cocked an eyebrow at Lulu.

"You think so, eh? Well, by the time I'm finished training, I'll probably be turning 18." Lulu scratched her head.

"How old will I be when I finish?" Neela frowned and crossed her arms.

"That's a hard question Lulu. You see, you were sent here very early. Earlier than me, even. Usually, a girl doesn't come here until she's ten. Training usually takes 11 years, so most mages are 21 by the time they're fully trained. However, you were reported to have incredible potential, so you might be able to finish your training faster than the others. It also depends on how much you train. You're technically finished with your training when you learn all the third level spells, and each level takes a little over three years to complete. However, if you want to train more, you can stay behind as an assistant instructor and study the fourth and fifth level spells in your free time. It's really hard to say when you'll become a full Black mage." Lulu was about to ask another question, when someone began to ring what sounded like a huge bell. Neela's eyes widened and she jumped to her feet.

"That means dinner's ready! We'd better go wash, or else everyone will get in line before us!" Before Lulu could protest, Neela had grabbed her hand and was practically dragging her down the hall. They skidded to a stop near an alcove that had a small fountain in it.

"Quick," Neela panted, "wash your hands! And your face too!" Lulu gave Neela a questioning look, to which she replied, "The priests have a thing for cleanliness. Don't ask questions. Nobody knows the answers." As soon as Lulu had splashed water on her face and rubbed her hands clean of dirt, Neela grabbed her wrist again and sped down the hall. They came to a stop in an arched stone doorway, and Neela heaved a sigh of relief.

"Whew, we made it!" Lulu peeked into the room and frowned when she saw that there were only a few old men in the room.

"Where's everybody else?" Neela turned around and pointed down the hall at another 13 or 14 girls that were sprinting down the hall, pushing and shoving each other and shouting insults.

"Everybody else is right there."


	4. The Beginning of a New Life

Dinner passed uneventfully. Neela guided Lulu through the room, over to where the day's cooks handed out bowls of soup and small pieces of dry bread. They found a spot at the long table, and sat down on the cold, stone bench. Lulu reached for her bread but Neela quickly grabbed her wrist.
    
    "Wait until they say the prayer," she whispered. "And don't talk during dinner. And be sure to sit up straight! The priests'll have kittens if you don't sit properly." She rolled her eyes, but she quickly looked down as Head Priest Oneron stood up. The rest of the priests and all the girls followed suit, staring blankly in front of them as Oneron gave thanks to Yevon. After what seemed like an hour, they were finally allowed to sit down. Lulu did her best to copy Neela's every action, and she managed to avoid causing trouble, although Neela did have to nudge her in the ribs every few minutes as a reminder to sit straight. When they were finally finished, Neela motioned for Lulu to climb off the bench and kneel in front of it, with her hands clasped together in front of her. It only took a few minutes for Lulu's knees to start aching. She shot a glance at her friend and she smiled soothingly and mouthed the words 'just a little longer.' Finally, they were allowed to stand up, and the girls slowly filed out of the room and down the hall. As soon as they were out of sight, they all broke into a run, sprinting to their rooms and grabbing armfuls of dirty robes, gloves, undergarments, and other assorted clothing, then tearing back down the hall to the laundry room. Neela was dragging Lulu along by her wrist again, practically dragging to poor girl to their room.
    
    "Hurry! Get all your stuff and go!" Neela grabbed her own pile of clothes and stopped to grab two silk ribbons, then led the way back down the hall at breakneck speed. Neela sighed in relief as she squeezed her way into the crowded room inside.
    
    "Whew, there's one left…" She walked over to the cauldron and tossed her robes into the scalding water, then turned back to Lulu.
    
    "I'll help you with yours for now. What you do is you toss it in, like this." Neela heaved the second pile of clothes into the boiling water and smiled.
    
    "Now here's the annoying part. You have to stir it to make sure all the dirt gets out. You get to scrub the floors for a week if your robes aren't clean enough. Just don't get too close to the cauldron, because your skirt will catch fire." She took one of the ribbons she was holding and tied Lulu's hair back, then did the same to her own hair. 
    
    "And you don't want your hair to start on fire either." Lulu's eyes widened.
    
    "Start on fire?!" Neela snickered.
    
    "Yup. One of the really snotty third level mages was being careless last year and her skirt caught fire. She tried to beat it out and ended up tripping, and then her hair landed in the fire. After that, she wore her hooded coat whenever she could, but you're only supposed to wear those if you go outside, so the priests would make her take it off during class. It was interesting to see her getting humiliated for once." Lulu tried to keep from laughing as she imagined what singed hair would look like.
    
    "That musta been awful!" Neela shrugged, but she had a wicked smile on her face.
    
    "Yeah, it probably was. Oh well. No use crying over a broken Chocobo egg, I always say." She grabbed a pair of the metal tongs from the stack on the floor and stirred the water. After another minute, she pulled one of the robes out of the cauldron and squinted at it. 
    
    "It's getting there. Another five minutes and we should be done." Lulu wiped her forehead and smiled in relief.
    
    "Good. It's really hot in here." Neela nodded. 
    
    "I know. You'll get used to it in a little while." Lulu nodded absentmindedly as she looked around the room.
    
    "Hey, Neela…"
    
    "Mm?" Neela glanced up and Lulu turned back to meet her gaze.
    
    "Why is everybody here a girl? And why am I the only one wearing a black bracelet?" Neela half-smiled.
    
    "The priests say that you have to be pure of heart to be a strong mage, and to keep us from being corrupted, the priests are the only men that are allowed near us. Travelers aren't even allowed to leave the main chamber or the guest rooms, with the exception of summoners and their guardians. They can go into the Cloister of Trials, but that's it. I think it's a bunch of crap, to tell you the truth, because I can guarantee you, there are some very, VERY impure girls here." 
    
    She glanced around for a moment before leaning over and whispering, "Whatever you do, NEVER eavesdrop on any of the older girls… They talk about things that we shouldn't be hearing for another ten years…" She shuddered slightly before straightening up.
    
    "As for why you're the only black mage here right now…" She paused for a moment before biting her lip. "The answer to that question is a painful one… All mages can use Black magic, but it's usually very weak. The most powerful Black mages tend to have a lot of pain and anger hidden inside them. Those feelings make Black magic more powerful, because those emotions hurt people, just like Black magic does…" She paused and looked at Lulu with a mix of curiosity and empathy in her eyes.
    
    "Anger is strong, but sometimes pain is much, much stronger… In order to become a powerful Black mage, you have to suffer… To be strong, your heart will have to be broken over and over, until there are only a few pieces left…" She laid the tongs on the ground and knelt so that she was at Lulu's eye-level.
    
    "You already are strong Lulu… Everybody knows what you can do, we've all heard about it… Whatever happened to you so early in your life to do that… I'll bet it still hurts a lot… I know how that feels…" Neela put her hand Lulu's shoulder and smiled, but it was different. This was a sad smile.
    
    "If you ever need to talk to anyone, talk to me." She opened her mouth again, as if she was going to say something else, but she shut it again and stood up.
    
    "The laundry's done, let's go hang it up in the room. We can take it down and put it away in the morning."
    
    Lulu was lying on her mattress, staring at the ceiling through the darkness. She knew she needed to sleep, but she just didn't feel tired. Curiosity and fear were running rampant through her head. What had Neela meant when she said 'I know how it feels,' and why had she said that a Black mage would have to suffer? How did she know all that?
    
    "Neela?" Neela sat up and glanced at Lulu, smiling.
    
    "Can't sleep?" Lulu sat up as well and nodded.
    
    "Yeah… I was just… well, I was wondering…"
    
    "What I meant when I told you that I know how it feels," Neela finished.
    
    "I was wondering when you were going to ask about that." Lulu blushed.
    
    "If you don't wanna tell me, that's-"
    
    "No, it's alright," Neela replied.
    
    "I'll tell you… I just don't know if you'll be able to understand what happened to me… I didn't understand it myself, really… I was your age when it all started happening…" She stared out the window at the silvery moon, casting its soft light onto the glittering snow.
    
    "I think I'll wait before I tell you everything… You probably don't like it when everyone treats you like a baby, because you've already experienced more than most grown-ups, but I can't tell you this until you're older…" She sighed and stretched out on her mattress, still staring out the window.
    
    "All I can say right now is that I came here early because I had no choice… Just like what happened to you…" Lulu felt her heart skip a beat. Did Neela's mother die too?
    
    "What happened to your mom?" 
    
    Neela looked as if she would cry for a moment, before finally replying, "Nothing happened to her. My parents were just bad people. Very, very bad people…" She rolled over, as if to signal that the discussion had ended. Lulu rolled over as well, still as confused as ever, but too tired to stay awake.
    
    _She was back in Besaid, standing on top of the cliffs and gazing out to sea. There was a storm brewing, with the occasional flash of lightning and the ferocious wind that was whipping her hair around._
    
    _"Lulu…" Lulu turned around and gasped. All her friends were standing there- High Priest Oneron, Wakka, Neela, Chappu… even her mother… Happiness flooded her heart as Lulu ran over and embraced each one in turn._
    
    _"You're all here!" Lulu's mother knelt down and smiled._
    
    _"Yes, we're here, Lulu… We're here to help you…" Lulu looked up, her brow wrinkling in confusion._
    
    _"Help me with what, Mommy?" Oneron stepped forward, smiling down at her, but the grin on his face wasn't a kind one…_
    
    _"We're going to make you strong, Lulu." Wakka stepped forward, tossing his blitzball from one hand to the other._
    
    _"You gonna need a lotta help if you wanna be a mage, ya?" Neela smirked and folded her arms, looking down at Lulu._
    
    _"It's going to take a lot of work, that's for sure. Yeah, you're strong already, but you need to be stronger. You need to be angry. You need to be hurt." _
    
    _Chappu__ walked over to Lulu and grabbed her arm, jeering, "You want to be strong, right Lu?__ Then you gotta get hurt!" Lulu pulled her arm back and backed away from them._
    
    _"What?! I don't want to be hurt!" _
    
    _She blinked back tears and whispered, "I'm already hurt…" Anama shook her head as lightning split the sky behind her._
    
    _"It's not enough, Lu."_
    
    _"You need to be hurt more," Oneron added. Wakka tossed his blitzball at Lulu, laughing as she raised her arms to protect herself._
    
    _"You need t'be hurt a lot more! No mage is afraid of a blitzball, ya?" Neela shook her head._
    
    _"If she's afraid of a blitzball, she's practically a lost cause!" Chappu grabbed Lulu by the collar of her dress and lifted her off the ground, leering at her._
    
    _"I guess we'll all have to hurt you Lu. We'll have to hurt you bad…" _
    
    _He shoved Lulu into her mother's arms. Anama smirked in Lulu's face and whispered, "I left you because I love your sister more than I've ever loved you… And I'm not coming back…" Lulu was thrown to Oneron, who grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him._
    
    _"You're going to belong to me someday. I'll make you mine, and you can't escape!" Wakka grabbed Lulu's hair and yanked her to him, grinning._
    
    _"I'm gonna take away the best friend you ever had… My brother's too good for a baby like you…" Neela grabbed Lulu by the wrist and slapped her across the face._
    
    _"I'm going to leave you alone when you need me the most!" Then Lulu was staring at Chappu again. His aqua blue eyes looked different, angry. _
    
    _He leaned close her ear and whispered, "I will be the last, and I will be the worst… I'll make you wish you'd never lived… I promise…" Chappu walked towards her, making Lulu back up to the edge of the cliff. Chappu's hand seemed to move in slow motion as he placed it on her chest and pushed. Lulu felt herself falling, saw her hand reaching for something to catch, heard her own sigh of relief as her hand caught the edge of the cliff. Then she saw their faces, glaring down at her from on top of the cliff. Chappu snickered and stepped on Lulu's hand, watching as her face contorted in agony._
    
    _"Come on Lulu. Quit fighting it. You can't fight the anger. You can't fight the pain. You can't fight Yevon." Lulu felt her fingers slipping as Chappu ground his heel into her hand._
    
    _"Just surrender to the pain. Embrace it." He leaned over so that his face was closer to Lulu's and whispered, "Be strong, Lulu. Be strong." Her hand slipped. She was falling._
    
    "Lulu…" Lulu pulled the heavy blanket over her head, whimpering.
    
    "Leave me alone! Just leave me alone!" Neela jerked the blanket off the bed and glared at her, but her face softened as she noticed the tears leaving streaks down Lulu's cheeks.
    
    "Oh, I'm sorry! You were having a bad dream, weren't you?" Lulu opened her eyes relaxed slightly as she noticed that Neela wasn't angry. She wasn't being mean. There weren't any cliffs here. It'd all been a dream… But, if it was a dream, then why did her hand hurt so badly?


	5. The First Lesson

For anyone, the first day of school can be nerve-wracking. Lulu's was certainly no exception. Neela helped her get dressed after Lulu tried to put her robe on backwards, then rushed her off to the dining hall for breakfast. After the prayers, Neela led Lulu back to their room. 
    
    "Grab your coat and your boots. This is one of those outside classes." Neela bent down to grab her own clothes, and also paused to pick up a set of silver daggers.  Lulu cocked her head and pointed to the blades in Neela's hands.
    
    "What're those?" Neela glanced down. 
    
    "Oh, these? They're my weapons." She noticed the look of confusion on Lulu's face, so she continued, "Everybody has to learn to use a weapon, because not even a mage can use magic all the time. You need to be able to defend yourself in a battle, so we have to learn to fight." Neela straightened and tapped her finger against her teeth, scanning the room.
    
    "Hmm… What can you use for a weapon? You're too small to wield anything heavy at this point…" She snapped her fingers and dashed to Lulu's pallet, picking up her moogle doll from where Lulu had left it the day before.
    
    "This'll work great! But we gotta go, or the High Priest is gonna have a fit!" Once more, Lulu found herself being dragged along behind Neela as she sprinted through the temple and out the door.
    
    High Priest Oneron had his arms folded across his chest as he tapped his foot, looking perturbed. Neela and Lulu skidded to a stop in front of him, and he frowned.
    
    "So kind of you two to join us. Dare I ask what your excuse is this time?" Neela bowed, panting.
    
    "Our apologies, High Priest… but Lulu… didn't have a weapon…" Oneron nodded.
    
    "Understood. Did you find something suitable, then?" Neela straightened up and gently pulled the moogle doll from Lulu's arms, holding it out to the priest.
    
    "I didn't think, Sir, that Lulu would have the strength to wield any type of blade or club at her age, so I thought that you might be able to cast a spell on her doll. After all, the primary focus of a Black mage's weapon is to suppress their power, right?" Oneron smiled approvingly.
    
    "Excellent thinking, Neela." He took the moogle doll and knelt down, smiling at Lulu.
    
    "Lulu, starting today, this doll is going to be your weapon in battle. I will enchant it so that you can attack your enemies with it, and it will also channel your magical energy. Now, I need you to put your hand here…" Oneron placed Lulu's hand on the doll, then placed his own on top of it, and closed his eyes. Lulu's arm went numb, then, a prickly sensation made its way from the palm of her hand all the way to her elbow. Then the sensation was gone, and Oneron smiled at her. 
    
    "There." He set the doll on the ground in front of her, and Lulu watched, astounded, as the doll stood on its own, then toddled over to her and bowed. 
    
    "Wow! Thank you!" Lulu held her arms out and the doll obediently jumped into them. Neela came up behind Lulu and grinned.
    
    "That's one cool doll, Lulu." The High Priest stood and picked up his staff.
    
    "Alright ladies, are we all ready? This is going to be another combat lesson, so I hope you all have your equipment." He started to lead the girls into the woods, then paused and looked back at Lulu.
    
    "Lulu, you've never fought before, so I want you to stay close to Neela and just watch for today." They resumed their march into the woods, with Neela and Lulu towards the end of the line. Lulu reached up and tugged on Neela's sleeve, trying to get her attention.
    
    "What is it?" Lulu looked around nervously at the ice-laden trees that closed in on them.
    
    "There aren't any really, really big monsters around here, are there?" Neela shook her head reassuringly.
    
    "Nah. The monsters around here are actually pretty small compared to the ones you'll find in other places." Lulu sighed in relief.
    
    "Whew. I don't like big monsters." Neela chuckled.
    
    "Not many people do." Their heads snapped up as they heard shouting from further ahead.
    
    "They found something! Let's go, Lulu!" The both of them sprinted to catch up with the rest of the group, sliding to a stop as they met up with the others. The entire class had formed a circle around several Snow flans, with Oneron and an older girl facing the monsters. The older girl lifted her weapon, a heavy iron mace, and charged at one of the flans, delivering a crushing blow. The flan hissed and body-slammed its attacker, sending the girl stumbling back. Oneron shouted for Neela over his shoulder, and Neela pulled Lulu with her. 
    
    Oneron glanced down at Neela and ordered, "Get out there and take care of those things! None of the other girls' weapons will have any effect!" Neela nodded and drew her daggers. Holding one in each hand, she dropped into her fighting stance, with one arm held up, in front of her chest, and the other dangling loosely behind her back.
    
    "Should I kill all of them, or leave one for the others?" Oneron shook his head.
    
    "Go ahead and kill them. You know how to deal with these." Neela smirked and glanced down at Lulu momentarily.
    
    "Watch this." With that, she sprinted straight towards the closest flan. Once she was within reach, she slashed a gaping wound in the thing's side, then jumped back. The flan howled as its soft, blue flesh began to take on a grayish tinge. The gray spread out from the wound, covering the flan's entire body, then the flan's skin became rough and gravelly. As the thing continued to shriek, cracks began to spread over its entire body, until the whole thing shattered into tiny chunks of stone. The other two flans watched their brother's demise in shocked silence, then began screeching. There was a flash of blue light, and Neela crossed her daggers in front of her and cast NulFrost. Moments later, the Blizzard spell hit, releasing crackling bolts of energy as it was cancelled out. As soon as the fallout subsided, Neela dropped her defense and darted in again, stabbing both flans at once. Once more, Lulu watched as one of the flans turned to stone, then crumbled. She turned her gaze to the other one, and frowned. Something different was happening to this one. This flan's flesh was stained a sickly green, instead of gray, and the skin around its wound was beginning to bubble. Neela watched her handiwork from a safe distance, wrinkling her nose as noxious fumes permeated the air. Finally, the flan dissolved completely, its remains melting through the snow and leaving a burn mark on the ground. Oneron gave a nod of approval as Neela bent down to wash the slime off her daggers. Lulu ran over and clapped her hands excitedly. 
    
    "That was so cool! Will I be able to fight like that someday?" Neela gave a soft chuckle, sheathed her daggers, and stood back up, taking a moment to ruffle Lulu's hair.
    
    "Someday, you'll be even better than me." The group began to move on, and Neela and Lulu followed along behind.
    
    "So, you like this class?" Lulu nodded.
    
    "Yep. It's super cool." Neela laughed. 
    
    "I can't wait until you start learning to use your magic. You're really gonna be something." Lulu cocked her head.
    
    "You really think so?" Neela shook her head.
    
    "Nope. I know so." They walked in silence for a few seconds, until Lulu asked another question.
    
    "Neela, why did those monsters turn into rocks and melt? What'd you do to them?" Neela pulled out her daggers and held them up to the light. 
    
    "Well, these are special weapons. They're enchanted to inflict more damage than any regular weapon. See this one?" Neela held up one of the daggers, and Lulu noticed that it had a black sheen, so it looked darker than regular silver, and that the handle was inlaid with obsidian, the same stone that was in her bracelet. 
    
    "This one will turn anything it cuts into stone. And this one…" Neela held the second dagger out, indicating the ivory that decorated it.
    
    "This will poison whatever it cuts. The Al Bhed are really good at making weapons like these. They can make weapons with all sorts of special abilities. Their weapons can burn your enemies, paralyze them, even put them to sleep." Lulu's mouth hung open in awe.
    
    "Wow. I want one of those." Neela shook her head. 
    
    "You don't need them. Your magic is far more powerful than any weapon." Silence descended on them again, and the only sound was the crunching of snow. But Lulu's curiosity was without limits.
    
    "Neela, what did you mean when you said that a Black mage's weapon is s'posed to suppress their power?" Neela didn't glance down.
    
    "Well, the kind of magic you use is dangerous. It's a huge amount of destructive energy that's all released at once, and it's not really predictable. If that energy isn't contained, all that power will go out of control. When something like that happens, then not even the person who's casting the magic is safe." Neela paused and gently poked the doll that dangled in Lulu's arms.
    
    "That's what this is for, so don't ever let go of it. The moment you put that doll down, all the power you have will break loose, and anyone or anything near you will be in serious danger." Lulu visibly paled.
    
    "So even if I don't mean to, I could hurt somebody?" Neela nodded gravely.
    
    "You might even hurt yourself." 
    
    She flashed a quick smile and added, "But don't worry. As long as you keep that doll, nothing bad will happen." Lulu nodded, as if to say she understood.
    
    "What about your weapons? Do they weaken your magic too?" Neela shook her head.
    
    "Actually, my weapons do the opposite. Since White magic is meant to heal and not destroy, it's got to be really strong. So a White mage's weapon will channel their magical energy and strengthen it, to make sure that it's effective." Lulu nodded again.
    
    "So, if I used your weapons, my magic would get really strong?" Neela stopped walking and knelt down in front of Lulu.
    
    "No, Lu. That's not what would happen. If you were to pick up a White mage's weapon, your Black magic would do more than go out of control. It will destroy everything around you, and I mean everything. And you're almost guaranteed to die. A Black mage picking up a White mage's weapon is buying a direct ticket to the Farplane. So never, ever do that." 
    
    "Neela! Lulu!" Both girls flinched and looked behind them, cringing under High Priest Oneron's death glare.
    
    "Either you stay with the group, or you stay at the temple. Let's get moving."


	6. Author's Notes

A/N: Hello everybody. Sorry for the delay! My teachers are trying to kill me... I know it. Anyway, I'm putting this up here to apologize for the format of chapters 4 and 5. I'm saving the following ff.net's directions and everything, but the paragraphs are all mashed together. I've tried several times to fix the problem and it's just not working. So, for now, if you get a headache as you try to read, I am so sorry! If I'm capable of fixing this, I'm going to ASAP! And if not. I'll mail you a bottle of asprin or something. Mmkay? 


	7. A New Friend

Weeks passed by. In that space of time, Lulu proved to be a quick learner. Already, she had control over her Black magic spells, and she was studying the second level magic. In one month, she could cast Fira with a leisurely wave of her hand. Neela was making excellent progress as well. Her skills as a White mage were, by this time, second only to Oneron's, and they continued to develop. During combat lessons, Lulu started taking care of Flans, Elements, and other fiends that the rest of the girls couldn't handle. Since Neela's daggers were needed less and less often, she was designated the official healer. Of course, she would still fight from time to time.

"Woohoo!" Lulu danced in a little circle as a White Element dissolved into pyreflies.

"Take that!" Neela smiled and shook her head.

"You're such a show-off, Lu." Lulu stopped dancing and blushed sheepishly.

"Sorry. You were good too, Neela." The older girl smirked as she wiped off her daggers.

"Now that's more like it." Lulu fidgeted, unable to hold still. She was getting to fight! She was doing a good job too. She was absolutely thrilled. She had so much energy, she didn't know what to do with it.

"Neela?"

"Mmm?"

"We make a good team, right?" Neela smiled and patted Lulu on the head.

"Of course we do. Someday, we'll probably bring about the Calm together. Just think- Lulu and Neela, the greatest mages of all time!" Lulu giggled.

"That'd be fun!" As they walked behind the rest of the class, Neela and Lulu heard something crashing through the trees and snow. The both turned and prepared to fight, Neela with her daggers drawn, and Lulu with her arm raised to cast a spell. However, it was not a fiend that emerged from the bushes, but one of the priests.

He ran right past the two startled girls, waving his hands and shouting, "High Priest Oneron! Lord Braska is arriving at the temple!" The priest skidded to a stop, nearly slipping in the snow. Oneron cocked an eyebrow.

"Lord Braska? You mean the summoner from Besaid?" The breathless man in front of him nodded weakly. Oneron's brow furrowed.

"I thought he had committed a sacrilege and married an Al Bhed woman." The other priest nodded again.

"He did." The High Priest's eyes narrowed and his face reddened.

"And you let him into the temple?! A sinner like that?! You're letting him pray to the fayth?!" The younger priest shrank back fearfully.

"No, Sir. He and his guardians are waiting outside the temple to talk to you." Oneron seemed to calm down a bit.

"That is fine. I will be there momentarily." He turned to the whispering girls behind him.

"Class is over for today. Return to the temple immediately and go straight to your rooms." The tone in Oneron's voice quieted the class instantly, and they all walked back to the temple.

Lulu waited until they were out of earshot, then tugged on Neela's sleeve.

"Neela, I know that man! He's from my village!" Neela's eyes widened a bit.

"Really? Well, you seem to know quite a few interesting people." Lulu looked downcast.

"I think mister Braska is in trouble. The High Priest didn't look very happy when he heard that Braska was here." Neela nodded grimly.

"Yeah, it's definitely safe to say he's in trouble." Lulu glanced up.

"Why is he in trouble, Neela?" Neela sighed and shook her head.

"Well, it's complicated. You know who the Al Bhed are, right?" Lulu nodded vigorously.

"They're the people who still use machina, right?"

"That's right, Lu. And, according to Yevon, most machina are evil, along with anyone who uses them. So that means that the Al Bhed are thought of as evil." Lulu frowned.

"They're evil?" Neela shook her head.

"Not really, but the priests say that they're evil. Because of that, marrying an Al Bhed is a very bad thing to do. It'll get you in a lot of trouble. And that's what Braska did." Lulu's face bore a mixed expression of shock and confusion.

"You mean mister Braska's wife was evil?" Neela shrugged.

"She was supposed to be. But even though Braska knew it was against the rules, he did it anyway. He even had a child with her. I think it was a girl…" Lulu gasped.

"Yuna!" Neela glanced at Lulu and cocked an eyebrow.

"What?"

"In Besaid, there was a girl named Yuna, and she was mister Braska's daughter. And her eyes were different colors! One was blue, and the other one was green." Neela scratched her head.

"Now that I think about it, I think that was the name of his child. She was named after Lady Yunalesca." Lulu's lower lip trembled and she suppressed a whimper. Thinking of the friends she'd left behind… It hurt… It hurt so much.

"Does… does that mean Yuna's evil too?" Neela shook her head.

"Definitely not! Sometimes, people just hate things they don't understand. They decide it's easier to look the other way than to try to change what they think. That's what's evil." They quieted as they passed through the temple entrance, and winced as they heard the heavy doors slam shut behind them.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Summoner Braska." The High Priest's voice practically dripped with venom and disgust.

"And I see that you have your guardians with you." Lulu's curiosity got the better of her and she snuck a glance over her shoulder. She saw Braska standing there, facing Oneron with a blank expression on his face. There were two men standing on either side of him. One was young and muscular, with a huge sword slung over his shoulder and narrowed eyes. He was wearing a long-sleeved, red robe, with black body armor underneath. The other man seemed much older, with scruffy hair held back with a bandana, and a blitzball cradled under one arm. His chest was bare and was covered with a tattoo of a strange design, while his back was crisscrossed with many scars. Oneron turned and glared at Lulu, and she paled and looked away. Their voices still echoed down the hallway.

"So, tell me, Braska… Is it true you committed a sacrilege and married an Al Bhed?" Braska's voice carried no shame or embarrassment.

"I did." Oneron nodded and stroked his chin.

"I see. And isn't that Sir Auron, the dishonored monk?" The man in red grunted and shifted the sword on his shoulder in warning, but Braska shot a glance at Auron and shook his head.

"Yes, it is." Oneron looked at Braska's other guardian.

"Then you must be Jecht, the blaspheming lunatic. You believe you're from Zanarkand, do you not?" The man called Jecht chuckled and shook his head.

"My reputation proceeds me, I see. Yeah, I'm from Zanarkand. What's it to ya?" Oneron smiled benevolently.

"Just curiosity, I suppose. I was wondering if you were as insane as the rumors said you were. And, there was another thing I was wondering…"

The friendly expression on Oneron's face was replaced by a murderous one as he shouted, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY TEMPLE?!" Lulu froze as she detected the malice in Oneron's voice. Why did he hate mister Braska so badly? Why was everybody fighting? Memories, buried but not forgotten, began surfacing, drowning out the voices echoing in the temple hallway. She heard different voices now. One of them, a male voice, was yelling and screaming, while the other, the voice of a woman, did nothing but sob and cry out in pain. The paralysis that had already gripped her limbs began to spread, like a disease, until it infected the rest of her body, even her lungs. Things seemed to be spinning, shadows ringed the edges of her vision, and Lulu felt a sudden wave of nausea wash over her. If she'd lived in ancient Zanarkand, then a doctor would have told her that she'd suffered a panic attack, triggered by some traumatic memory.

"Lulu?" Neela's voice was weak and fuzzy, as though it was coming from very far away.

"Lulu! Look at me!" A small, quiet part of Lulu's brain noticed that there was panic creeping into her friend's voice, but this was not enough to drown out the other voices, the ones that dominated her entire brain.

"Lulu! Snap out of it!" Lulu felt as though she'd been physically pulled back to reality as she reached up and touched her cheek, which was red and slightly swollen from the slap she'd received. Neela lowered her hand, looking guilty.

"Sorry… you kinda scared me there… I didn't know what else to do…" Lulu nodded mutely. Neela smiled soothingly and put her arm around Lulu's shoulders.

"Come on. I think a nap would do you good."

Lulu blinked and sat up with a start. She scanned the room around her, finding it to be empty, with a single candle casting its feeble light over the walls. Lulu suddenly scrambled to her feet and rushed over to the window, standing on tiptoe to see outside. It was completely dark, obviously very late at night. Lulu rubbed her eyes and yawned as she wandered back over to her pallet. Neela had been right. Now that she'd taken a nap, Lulu felt much better. Lulu suddenly remembered the original cause of her distress and padded over to the door, pressing her ear against it. The hallway was silent; apparently, Oneron had finished his tirade some time ago. Lulu sighed, disappointed. That meant that Lord Braska was probably long gone. She had fervently hoped to see him again, and to talk to him about her training. As she thought this, there was a knock at the door. Lulu's face immediately brightened as she hastily pulled the door open, expecting to see Lord Braska standing there. But it was not Lord Braska. Rather, it had been one of his guardians knocking. The man gestured for Lulu to be quiet and stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Sorry kid. Braska asked me to find you, but we're not even supposed to be in the temple right now, so I'm gonna hafta come in. Hope you don't mind." Lulu was slightly intimidated; after all, a stranger had just invited himself into her room. Still, he didn't seem to want to hurt her. He actually seemed very nice.

The man squatted down to Lulu's level, then extended his hand and said, "Name's Jecht. Nice t'meetcha." Lulu giggled.

"You talk funny!" Jecht cocked an eyebrow.

"I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted." He shrugged to himself.

"Anyway, kid, Braska wanted me to talk to you. You are Lulu, right?" Lulu nodded.

"Yup. That's me." Jecht half-smiled.

"Right. So, Braska says you're from Besaid?" Lulu nodded, then, reminded of the reason that she'd had to leave, lowered her eyes to the floor.

"I used to live there… but… nobody could take care of me any more…" Jecht tilted his head.

"Why not? What about your parents?" Lulu's eyes watered slightly, but she held the tears back.

"They're dead." Hearing the lack of emotion in the child's voice made Jecht wince.

"I'm sorry kid. I didn't mean to remind you about that…"

He studied her for a second, then, almost to himself, said, "My son was just a little older than you… Wonder how he's doin' now…"

Lulu looked up and asked, "You're a daddy?" Jecht shook his head sadly.

"Yeah, but I wasn't a very good one. Now, though, it looks like I'm never gonna see him again. I'll never get the chance to make it up to him." Lulu detected the sorrow in Jecht's voice and put her tiny hand on his large, calloused one.

"Don't worry," she said, smiling encouragingly.

"You'll be able to see him again." Jecht seemed to cheer up.

"You think so, huh?" Lulu nodded.

"Yup. You always run into the people you never thought you'd see again. After all, I got to see mister Braska again, even if it wasn't for very long!" Jecht chuckled.

"Yeah. That reminds me of Braska's message, too. He wanted me to tell you that he's really proud of you for being so brave. He can tell you've grown a whole lot, too."

Lulu's face brightened and she squeaked, "Really? He said that?"

"He sure did," Jecht replied, nodding in confirmation.

"And he wanted me t'tell ya that your friends from Besaid, Yuna, Wakka, and Chappu, all said 'hi,' and they hope you're doin' okay." Jecht could tell, from the smile on Lulu's face, that he'd just made her the happiest little girl in Spira. It made him feel better. The fact that he'd made one child happy helped ease the pain of knowing that he'd failed his own son.

Neela walked into the room, surprised to see one of Lord Braska's guardians sitting on Lulu's pallet and conversing with her, as though they were old friends. She made sure the hallway behind her was empty, then shut the door and looked at him warily.

"Who are you?" Jecht rubbed his neck, wincing.

"Sorry kid. Braska asked me to deliver a message to Lulu here, and we just got to talkin'." Neela noted the happy expression on Lulu's face and nodded.

"Alright. It was nice of you to keep her company. But, still, it's not a good idea for you to be here." Jecht clambered to his feet.

"I know, I know. I'm goin'." Lulu tugged at Jecht's pants and looked at him pleadingly.

"Will you come back, mister Jecht? I like talking to you. You're nice." Jecht laughed heartily.

"We'll see Lulu. I might not come back anytime soon, but I think we'll see each other again." Lulu smiled.

"Okay!" Jecht nodded a quick goodbye to Neela, who poked her head out the door and looked at him.

"It's clear, now go!" Jecht slipped out the door.

"Till next time, kids!" While Jecht didn't think that he really would see Lulu again, the fact was that, in time, their paths would eventually cross a once again.


End file.
